President Bola Ahmed Tinubu who doubles as Chairman of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has said that the ongoing summit taking place in Abuja will prioritize diplomatic negotiations and dialogue as a way of finding a lasting solution to the coup in Niger Republic.
Tinubu said this while declaring the summit opened on Thursday, where he noted, “we must engage all parties involved, including the coup leaders, in earnest discussions to convince them to relinquish power and reinstate President Bazoum”.
His comment comes after the ECOWAS had initially issued a seven day ultimatum to the Niger junta to relinguish power back to Mohammed Bazoum or face military actions.
At the ongoing extraordinary summit which has in attendance, President Julius Maada Bio of Sierra Leone, President. Umaro Mokhtar Sissoco of Guinea Bissau, President Everiste Ndayishimiye of Burundi and President Alassane Ouattara of Cote d’Ivoire.
Including President Mohamed Ould, Ghazouani of Mauritinia, President Nana Akofo-Ado of Ghana, President Macky Sall of Senegal and President Patrice Talon of Benin Republic, Tinubu told them that the summit provides a significant opportunity to meticulously review and assess the progress made since their last gathering.
According to the ECOWAS chairman, it is essential to evaluate the effectiveness of the interventions and identify any gaps or challenges that may have hindered progress.